Fansided

NBA: 1990s All-Decade second team

By Gerald Bourguet

Feb 15, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; A view of the NBA logo at the NBA All Star Jam Session at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 15, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; A view of the NBA logo at the NBA All Star Jam Session at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 14, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; NBA former player Gary Payton during the NBA Hall of Fame Annoucement at New Orleans Hyatt. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /

Second Team: G – Gary Payton:

1990s Resume: Nine seasons, one NBA Finals appearance, one-time All-NBA First Team, four-time All-NBA Second Team, one-time All-NBA Third Team, five-time NBA All-Star, one NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, six-time NBA All-Defensive First Team, one-time NBA leader in steals, 16.6 PPG, 6.9 APG, 3.9 RPG and 2.3 SPG, 18.7 average PER

Like most of the players on our All-Decade Team, Gary Payton’s legacy would probably have been even better if not for Michael Jordan. Though GP averaged 18.0 points, 7.0 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game in the 1996 NBA Finals, his Seattle SuperSonics would fall to Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in six games. Despite his stellar defense on His Airness, Payton was unable to add a title to his resume until much later in his career.

“The Glove” earned his nickname for his incredible defense, which also earned him the only Defensive Player of the Year award in NBA history ever given to a point guard. Because of his athleticism, quick feet and strength for his size – not to mention his talent as one of the league’s premier s**t-talkers – Payton was a natural foil for Jordan and one of the most entertaining spectacles of the 90s. He was scrappy, tough as nails and his partnership with Shawn Kemp, affectionately called the “Sonic Boom,” made the Sonics one of the most competitive teams in the Western Conference for most of the 90s.

Kemp was probably Seattle’s most marketable player, but Payton, a 2013 Hall of Fame inductee, was the team’s most skilled one. His flair for the dramatic was on full display with every fast break, every between-the-legs pass and every skillful flip shot, and they were all made even better by the fact that he’d be sure to tell you about it afterward. Though the first round playoff exit curse of George Karl might have prevented this Western powerhouse from reaching its full potential, Payton’s attitude, his unselfish play and his superb defense have him the conversation for best point guards of the decade and of all time.

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